The Clarion Area Bobcats will take on the Serra Catholic Eagles on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Clarion Area 4.1, Serra Catholic 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Clarion Area heads in on the heels of a playoff match on Monday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of DuBois Central Catholic. The Bobcats' loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Derek Smail made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Serra Catholic waltzed into their game on Wednesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They didn't even let the Mighty Mikes on the board, marking their second-straight 9-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won 17 contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Tyler Skaggs was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Cole Hann and Max Black did most of the damage at the plate: Hann went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Black went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Hann has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Chris Johnson, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Serra Catholic's victory was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Clarion Area, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clarion Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Serra Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
